The COVID-19 crisis has made a global impact and has brought the entire world to the brink of incapacitation. As it rampaged globally, causing lockdowns, unemployment, and shortage of food and essential items, the country has witnessed acts of philanthropy in action wherein several organizations, individuals, and communities have united to contribute to the fight against the challenging circumstances caused by the pandemic.
Observing the need to raise substantial funds for the crisis, actor and philanthropist Josh Heller rose to the occasion and launched a drive to raise donations for the COVID-19 relief fund through his non-profit organization, Favored Nations. Speaking of the organization that he co-founded with his friend earlier this year, Heller reveals, “Favored Nations was founded from the desire to harness our generation’s creativity, passion, and vision to help shift culture and current human behavior to take better care of our planet and its people. We noticed tons of young people eager to make an impact but without the tools or knowledge on where to start. Throughout 2020 we focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, the fight against systemic racism, and helping to educate Generation Z on the process and importance of voting.”
Successful in raising massive donations to help people stricken by the pandemic, Heller continues to appeal to his fans by inspiring them to use their voice and passions to help make a difference in the world, with Favored Nations being a community where they can get involved and give back. Discussing his efforts, Heller shares, “For Covid relief we dropped our first apparel collection to raise money, which included premium organic hoodies and long sleeves.” The merchandise sold out in the first three days of the launch, raising over $40,000 which was used to purchase medical-grade KN95 masks for testing sites throughout Los Angeles, with more funds donated to selected organizations on the front lines. The organization donates 100% of the money that a customer spends on the product towards the charity chosen by the shopper at the point of checkout.
Favored Nations amassed 100,000 plus members in its first six months of operation and has successfully raised more than $150,000 for various social issues. Prodded on his reasons to take the initiative of launching Favored Nations, Heller states, “Growing up I was on food stamps and lived in public housing and was always inspired by the generosity of strangers and communities who helped my family. As I got older I realized that helping people brought me joy and so did volunteering for causes I’m passionate about. When I turned 30 I realized that my closest friends all shared the desire to be more selfless and one of those friends was just as fired up as me at the right time so we started Favored Nations together. My personal goal is to build a healthy community that brings people dealing with similar issues together and fosters a sense of belonging.”
